Tô Lâm

Tô Lâm was born on 10 July, 1957 in Xuan Cau village, Nghĩa Trụ commune, Văn Giang district, Hưng Yên province, Vietnam.

He attended the Central Police School in 1974. From October 1974 to October 1979: Student at the Vietnam People’s Security Academy (VPSA) - T01/C500

October 1979 – December 1988: Working at the Political Protection Department I, the Ministry of Public Security

December 1988 – 1993: Cadre; Deputy Chief of the Political Protection Department I; the Ministry of Public Security

1993-2006: Deputy Director of the Political Protection Department I, Director of the Political Protection Department III, the Ministry of Public Security;

2006-2009: Deputy Director of the General Security Department, Permanent Deputy Director of the General Security Department in charge of the Political Protection Department I, the Ministry of Public Security; appointed as Major-general in 2007

2009 – August, 2010: Director of the General Security Department I, the Ministry of Public Security; appointed as Lieutenant-General in July, 2010

August 2010 – January 2016: Deputy Minister of Public Security; a member of the Party Central Committee (at the 11th Party Congress)

June 4, 2011: To Lam was appointed as the new Secretary of the Central Police Party Committee

September 16, 2014: The Minister of Public Security, Lieutenant General To Lam, was promoted to the rank of Colonel General by President Truong Tan Sang ^[2]

January 2016 – April 2016: Senior Lieutenant-General/Colonel General; Deputy Minister of Public Security; a member of the Politburo

April 27, 2016: He was appointed Vice Chairman of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-corruption by President Tran Dai Quang ^[3]

July 31, 2016: He was appointed Head of Central Highlands Steering Committee, replacing Tran Dai Quang

July 27, 2016 – present: Member of the Politburo; Head of Central Highlands Steering Committee, Minister of Public Security, Vice Chairman of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-corruption ^[4]

January 29, 2019: The Minister of Public Security, Colonel General To Lam, was promoted to the rank of General by President Nguyen Phu Trong ^[5]

In November 2021, a video was posted on the TikTok account of celebrity chef Nusret Gökçe, widely known by his nickname Salt Bae, which showed Tô and his entourage dining at Gökçe's Nusr-Et Steakhouse in London after attending the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow and laying a wreath at the tomb of Karl Marx.

In the clip, Gökçe feeds Tô a piece of gold-plated steak and then gives a thumbs-up. The video was deleted from Gökçe’s TikTok account just 30 minutes after a Vietnamese activist shared it on his Facebook page. The event caused outrage among Vietnamese internet users as the dinner took place when the majority of Vietnamese were struggling with a months-long economic shutdown as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Many also wondered how Tô could afford a steak that costs 1,450 pounds ($1,975) on a monthly salary of roughly $660.^{[6][7][8][9][10][verification needed]}

Despite attracting much attention from the international media, the Vietnamese press did not mention the event. On Facebook, the hashtag #saltbae was blocked for a few days worldwide, and it was only accessible on November 9.

Facebook did not state the reason for the block and did not say whether or not the Vietnamese government had requested them to do so.^[11] On November 16, 2021, Bui Tuan Lam, 39, a local noodle vendor living in Đà Nẵng was repeatedly targeted by police after posting a video on his personal Facebook page in which he imitated the gesture of chef Nusret Gökce.^{[12][13][14][15]}

On the evening of September 7, 2022, Bui Tuan Lam was arrested by multiple plainclothes police officers at his noodle stand. ^[16] After a trial only lasting a day, Lam was sentenced to five-and-a half years in prison and four years of probation upon being released.^[17]

•  Vietnam:
• 03 First Class Military Merit Medals (May 2014, July 2015, December 2020).
• Third-class Military Merit Medal (July 2011).
• 02 First Class Victory Medals (January 2002, September 2008).
• Second Class Victory Medal (May 2007).
• Third Class Victory Medal (March 2007).
• First, Second, and Third Class Glorious Soldier Medal.
• National Security Medal (2002).
• Freedom First Class Medal of Laos PDR (2017).
• First Class Labor Medal of Laos PDR (2017).

1. To Lam, Ho Chi Minh's Thought on the People's Public Security, National Political Publishing House, 2015.
2. To Lam, Ho Chi Minh's ideology on cadres and cadre work of the People's Public Security, National Political Publishing House, 2017.
3. To Lam, The masses - the decisive factor in winning the struggle to protect security and order, People's Public Security Publishing House, 2017.
4. To Lam, Ho Chi Minh's Thought on the role of the people in the cause of protecting security and order, People's Public Security Publishing House, 2017.
5. To Lam, Vietnam People's Police with Ho Chi Minh's works as a revolutionary policeman, Truth National Political Publishing House, 2018.